For many of us, the New Year is an opportunity to press reset after all indulgences of the holidays and set goals for the next 12 months. We also find ourselves itching to de-clutter, clean and get our home ready for the New Year, something we’ll likely do again once those spring flowers start to show themselves. If the itch is greater than a spot of organization can satisfy, it’s time to make a move.

Preparing to buy? We need to talk ASAP

In winter and early spring, you have the advantage that there is less competition, which quickly changes as soon as the warmer weather arrives (as hard as that is to imagine right now!). By sitting down with us now, we can get your strategy pinned down and get ahead on the search. This will also buy you a short amount of time to view a variety of properties and decide which is the right for you now and in the next five to 10 years. We can guide you through houses that can grow with you; for instance, that split-level home may be fabulous, but in the future you may not want to run up five flights of stairs to a nursery.

Selling as well as buying?

If you need to sell while searching for a new home, now is the time to get organized and prepare your home for staging. We can arrange staging; advise on storage options – and most importantly – the timing strategy to get the optimum price for your current and new home.

Mortgages in 2018

Last year announcements from our federal financial regulator made it harder to get a mortgage, even those with a 20 per cent down payment are subjected to a stress test. The consensus is that mortgage interest rates are going to go up again early this year, so time is running out to secure a good rate.

If all that isn’t enough motivation, a new report suggests that moving house actually helps you keep your new year’s resolutions due to the change in surroundings. We’d love to help you find a new home in 2018 – to discuss this or your home sale please get in touch home@dianeandjen.com